I'm often asked about the availability of rare foreign films on DVD. Let's face it, only a small number of foreign films ever make it to DVD in the US (Region-1), and these tend to be the most popular/commercial films. So what if you're a true film buff and want to view obscure (and some not so obscure) titles by Wim Wenders, Nagisa Oshima, and others? It turns out that it's not so difficult even with a small amount of money.

1) Buy a region-free (aka multi-region) DVD player. We all know the story of how the film companies introduced region codes to protect their profits and frustrate people like you and me. The good news is the price of region-free DVD players has come down so much that it no longer matters. You can purchase a good one from one of the sites below for around $50. In addition to being region-free, make sure it will play PAL movies on an NTSC TV. This is critical for viewing movies from Europe. It will say this in the product description. Places to purchase region-free DVD players: